FIA European Rally Championship

Teemu Suninen banked his maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory by fending off home heroes Jakub Matulka and Miko Marczyk on an action-packed 82nd Rally Poland.

Leading the Katowice-based event by 8.4sec at the start of Sunday’s seven-stage deciding leg, the Pirelli-equipped Finn edged closer to his first ERC win when he went fastest on the opening Przegibek test, which was back on the Rally Poland itinerary after a 27-year break.

Although Matulka trimmed his fellow Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver’s advantage to 9.3sec by winning he next stage, Suninen stood firm, even when Matulka moved to within 9.2sec of top spot with the fastest time on the penultimate stage.

By making it through the Silesian Voivodeship Power Stage unscathed and with the fourth fastest time, Suninen won for Portuguese-based The Racing Factory by 9.7sec.

“Rally Poland was quite tricky with lots of changes on the grip level,” said Suninen, who was co-driven by compatriot Antti Haapala and leads the provisional ERC standings by 23 points. “On the paper one of the trickiest rallies for me, but I was enjoying the car all the time and my driving so big, big thanks to the team. They have managed to make an excellent car for me and big thanks to Antti also. My schedule has been quite busy, and I haven’t been able to prepare as I want but co-drivers and teams have been helping me a lot.”

For Michelin-supplied Matulka, second place marked the Polish champion’s breakthrough ERC podium, while third position – 3.8sec behind Matulka – ended a frustrating run of results for Marczyk, the 2025 ERC title winner. 

“It feels amazing, we did a really good job,” said ORLEN LOTTO Rally Team driver Matulka. “Teemu was untouchable here, okay the difference was not big, but he was too consistent and too fast. It’s a very big confidence boost for me after not the best last two rallies. I’m really, really happy.”

Andrea Mabellini began leg two in second place, 8.4sec off the lead, after a back-to-form showing on Saturday. But with the Przegibek test proving a “disaster” for the Italian driver as he slipped to fourth overall, his wait for a first ERC podium in Lancia Corse HF colours goes on after he missed out on third place by 2.6sec, despite going quickest on the Power Stage.

Having claimed second from Mabellini on SS9, Matulka cemented the position by winning SS10. He was quickest again on SS12 and SS14 as Rally Poland returned to asphalt-only stages for the first time since 2004 following its move south from Mikołajki for 2026.

Starting his first ERC rally since 2017, three-time European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz spurned Marco Bulacia’s Sunday morning advances to secure fifth place, much to the delight of the thousands of fans lining the stages of Poland’s Silesian region.

Bulacia settled for sixth, his best performance on asphalt to date, with 19-year-old ERC3 category graduate Adrian Rzeżnik claiming a career-best seventh. Polish championship leader Jarosław Szeja hit back from a fifth-gear spin on SS9 to finish eighth.

Having run fifth at one stage, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton demoted Erik Cais (Team MRF Tyres) for ninth on the Power Stage, with Hankook-supplied Isak Reiersen taking advantage of Philip Allen’s overshoot and spin on SS14 to finish 11th, the Swede’s first ERC points on asphalt.

The ERC’s high-speed asphalt adventure continues with the 55th Barum Czech Rally Zlín from 14 – 16 August. Click HERE for more information. Meanwhile, Suninen will contest his third rally in as many weeks when he takes part on the WRC-counting Secto Rally Finland from 30 July – 2 August.

Click HERE for results and updates and re-live all the action on Rally.TV.

Final standings:

1. T Suninen / A Haapala FIN Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 1h 38m 52.8s
2. J Matulka / D Dymurski POL Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +9.7s
3. M Marczyk / S Gospodarczyk POL Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +13.5s
4. A Mabellini / V Lenzi ITA Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 +16.1s
5. K Kajetanowicz / M Szczepaniak POL Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +41.5s
6. M Bulacia / J Murado ESP Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +54.1s

It’s all about new in the FIA European Rally Championship this season with new events, new drivers, new teams, new cars and new rules. And it all starts this week when the city of Veszprém hosts V-Híd Rally Hungary from 12 – 14 April.

Now all-gravel having used asphalt stages in the past, V-Híd Rally Hungary forms round one of the eight-event ERC season, which also pays visits to Spain (Gran Canaria), Sweden, Estonia, Italy and Czech Republic, plus new events in the United Kingdom (Wales) and Poland.

As well as counting for overall ERC points, V-Híd Rally Hungary is part of the FIA ERC3, FIA ERC4, FIA Junior ERC and the new-for-2024 Fiesta Rally3 Trophy schedules.

To underline the ever-increasing popularity of the ERC, the established feeder series to the FIA World Rally Championship, 52 crews from 24 countries have registered including 28 in headlining Rally2 machinery, plus 17 in the Junior ERC Championship.

The ERC’s four tyre partners, Hankook, Michelin, MRF and Pirelli will contest the inaugural FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers.

Eight manufacturers of FIA rally category cars, Citroën, Hyundai, M-Sport-Ford, Opel, Peugeot, Škoda, Toyota and Volkswagen are represented.

ERC’s big three return
The ERC’s top three from 2023, Hayden Paddon, Mārtiņš Sesks and Mads Østberg, are all back to chase more European championship success.

Defending champion Paddon, who is embarking on his 19th season with co-driver John Kennard, has re-signed for the Pirelli-equipped BRC Racing Team to drive a Hyundai i20 N Rally2.

The New Zealander said: “John and I will have targets painted on our backs with other competitors striving to beat us. We expect a tougher fight this year, but John and I will look to lift our performances on some of the events we will now have experience of – it will be an exciting year.”

While Latvian Sesks continues his partnership with MRF Tyres, he switches from the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 he used to claim two wins in 2023 to an all-new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

“There will be a learning curve as the team familiarises itself with the new car, and we anticipate additional challenges, such as increased Tarmac stages throughout the season,” Sesks said. “Nevertheless, we are committed to thorough preparation and hard work to ensure a strong season, continually learning and evolving along the way.”

Norwegian Østberg’s TRT Racing Team will fit Michelin tyres to his Citroën C3 Rally2. After winning the Rally Hungary season closer in 2023, the one-time WRC event winner hopes to carry that momentum forward into 2024.

“I loved the ERC last year, it’s a great championship but the level of competition is very strong,” Østberg said. “It’s not only two or three drivers fighting for the win but it can be up to 10 drivers fighting for the win so it’s an amazing championship with very nice TV coverage. I’m really happy to take part again.”

But it’s not just Paddon, Sesks and Østberg in the chase for ERC success. Jon Armstrong, Hungarian hero Miklós ‘Mixi’ Csomós, Mathieu Franceschi, Mikko Heikkilä, Efrén Llarena, Andrea Mabellini, Miko Marczyk, Filip Mareš, Simone Temestini and Simon Wagner are among the others drivers that are expected to run at the front on V-Híd Rally Hungary.

All-new Rally Hungary in store
According to Kornél Őry, the chairman of the event organising committee, V-Híd Rally Hungary’s stages will “make for very exciting competition”. He said: “Our new location is just north of Lake Balaton in the city of Veszprém with special stages all around, mostly in military areas. We will have tough gravel roads but at least three different types of gravel and that will make for a very exciting competition and a very good test for the tyre manufacturers.

“The military areas we will use are in open fields and this will give us the opportunity to prepare big spectator zones. Some stages will be in forests with more narrow roads so a very different feeling. Certainly, we believe it will be a big challenge for the drivers and people will really like the city of Veszprém.”

Supporting categories to provide plenty of excitement
The ERC3, ERC4 and Junior ERC categories will provide plenty of action and excitement in 2024. Previews for all three, plus the new Fiesta Rally3 Trophy and updates on the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams and the new FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers will be published at FIAERC.com during this week.

How to watch?
Fans across the globe can experience the excitement and drama of the ERC with every stage of every rally broadcast Rally.TV platform. In addition, the ERC is broadcast in a number of countries around the world and fans are advised to check local listings for details.

V-Híd Rally Hungary 2024: the key numbers
Stages: 13
Competitive distance: 192.43 kilometres
Total distance: 794.74 kilometres